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In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of stiffness values of shear-wave elastography (SWE) and histopathological prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer. Between January 2021 and June 2022, SWE images of 138 core-biopsy proven breast cancer lesions from 132 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Histopathogic prognostic factors, including tumor size, histologic grade, histologic type, hormone receptor positivity, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) status, immunohistochemical subtype and Ki-67 index were documented. Elasticity values including mean and maximum elasticity (Emeanand Emax) and lesion-to-fat ratio (Eratio) were recorded. The association between histopathological prognostic factors and elasticity values were assessed using Mann-Whitney Uand Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple linear regression analysis. Tumor size, histological grade, and Ki-67 index were significantly associated with the Eratio(P< 0.05). Larger tumor size and higher Ki-67 index also showed significantly higher Emeanand Emaxvalues (P< 0.05). However, hormone receptor positivity, HER2 status, and immunohistochemical subtype were not significantly associated with elasticity values (P> 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that tumor size was significantly associated with Emean, Emax, and Eratiovalues (P< 0.05). A high Ki-67 index was also significantly associated with high Eratiovalues. Larger tumor size and higher Ki-67 index are independently associated with high Eratiovalues. Preoperative SWE may improve the performance of conventional ultrasound in predicting prognosis and treatment planning.

Mannanases are of great importance as they are able to hydrolyze polysaccharides for industrial applications and can be easily produced by fermentation. Purification of a β-mannanase produced from carob extract in a bioreactor is of great importance in order to obtain information about its structural and functional features and to foresee its implementations. Therefore, the aims of this study were to purify a β-mannanase from Aspergillus fumigatusexpressed in Aspergillus sojaegrown on carob extract by implementation of various flocculant agents in the fermentation medium, followed by the determination of its physico-chemical, kinetic, and thermodynamic characteristics. Flocculants increase the visible size of the dispersed particles by agglomeration, simplifying the separation of solids and liquids, and thereby reducing process costs. Optimum flocculation conditions for chitosan- and PAC-PAM-implemented processes were determined as 40 mg/L of chitosan, 30 min of implementation time, no agitation and 3 g/L PAC-PAM, 30 min implementation time, and no agitation. Under these conditions, more than a 2-fold increase in the enzyme activity was achieved in both flocculation processes. Further investigations determined molecular weight, optimum pH, and temperature values of the produced β-mannanase to be 56–60 kDa, pH 6, and 60 °C, respectively. Additionally, Kmand Vmdetermination of the enzyme for various substrates concluded that the β-mannanase showed the highest substrate specificity against locust bean gum among the substrates evaluated. Furthermore, experimental results for substrate specificity were further modeled and successfully represented by the Weibull model. In conclusion, this study provides valuable and important information about β-mannanase production and purification for industrial-scale applications.

Recently, modification of macromolecules in food products has gained special interest to increase their utilization during food processing. In this respect, the aim of this study was to modify chickpea aquafaba by using a pre-fermentation process with Lactobacillus plantarumMA2 for 3, 6 and 9 h and physicochemical and techno-functional of the modified aquafaba samples were investigated. The results showed that fermentation significantly improved foaming expansion, solubility and stability, with shorter fermentation times resulting in lower stability. Emulsifying properties were also improved by fermentation, with the 3-h fermentation sample having significantly higher emulsion stability. The protein profiles of chickpea during fermentation were analyzed using SDS-PAGE, and changes in the secondary structure of proteins were examined using FTIR spectroscopy. The major bands of low-molecular weight proteins were observed between 6.5 and 66 kDa, with minor bands between 66 and 200 kDa distributed similarly across all samples. The longer period of fermentation resulted in the formation of higher amounts of lower peptides. FTIR spectroscopy revealed changes in the secondary structure of proteins during fermentation, particularly in the amide-I region, which is sensitive to changes in the secondary structures of proteins consisting of layers such as the α-helix, β-turn, β-sheet, and random coil. Rheological properties of the aquafaba solution were investigated and all solutions showed shear thinning behavior while Ostwald de Waele model well described the flow behavior. The findings of the study highlighted that fermentation can be used as safe, eco-friendly, and green method for improving techno-functional characteristics of chickpea aquafaba.

Sertoli–Leydig cell tumors are rare sex cord-stromal neoplasms that account for <0.2% of ovarian tumors. These tumors with a retiform pattern pose difficult diagnostic problems, with the majority of being misinterpreted as serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma and endodermal sinus tumor. We report an 8-year-old female patient presented to our institution with a huge mass and pain in the lower abdomen and recurrence in the 10th months following the first operation. Only four cases of Sertoli–Leydig cell tumors have been reported under age of the eight years in the literature so far. It is difficult to define the stage and the morphology of Sertoli–Leydig cell tumors with retiform pattern in children and chemotherapy or radiotherapy administration is contraversial. However, fertility sparing surgeries should be considered as a first treatment choice on the time of the diagnosis and the recurrence.

A network of one-dimensional (1D) Au nanoparticle necklaces is synthesized and shown to exhibit electronic switching, that is, gating, by the metabolic activity of yeast cells deposited on the structure. Without the cells, the network exhibits the Coulomb blockade effect at room temperature with a sharp threshold voltage, VTof ∼0.45 V, which corresponds to a switching energy of ∼20 kT. Although the enhancement in VTfrom ∼70 mV for a single (10 nm) Au particle to >1 V is well-known for a 2D array, the uniqueness of the network topology is the relatively weak dependence of VTon temperature that leads to room temperature switching behavior, in contrast to an array where the blockade effect vanishes at ambient temperatures. The coupling between the biochemical process of the cell and the electronics of the network has potential applications for making electrodes for biofuel cells and highly sensitive biosensors using the cell as the specific sensing moiety.

In this review, we have discussed the class-prediction and discovery methods that are applied to gene expression data, along with the implications of the findings. We attempted to present a unified approach that considers both class-prediction and class-discovery. We devoted a substantial part of this review to an overview of pattern classification/recognition methods and discussed important issues such as preprocessing of gene expression data, curse of dimensionality, feature extraction/selection, and measuring or estimating classifier performance. We discussed and summarized important properties such as generalizability (sensitivity to overtraining), built-in feature selection, ability to report prediction strength, and transparency (ease of understanding of the operation) of different class-predictor design approaches to provide a quick and concise reference. We have also covered the topic of biclustering, which is an emerging clustering method that processes the entries of the gene expression data matrix in both gene and sample directions simultaneously, in detail.

The growth of Pichia pastoris in a mixture of either glycerol or glucose and methanol follows a diauxic growth, with C 1 utilizing enzymes being repressed. Therefore, these carbon sources can not be used as a mixture with methanol to simultaneously grow P. pastoris and induce C 1 utilizing enzymes, especially in a shake flask cultures of AOX-deficient P. pastoris . Among the alternative carbon sources tested, alanine, sorbitol, mannitol and trehalose, did not repress β-gal production when methanol was used as an inducer in mut strain of P. pastoris . Our results show that either one of alanine, sorbitol, mannitol or trehalose can be used as a sole carbon and energy source for P. pastoris , although the doubling time on trehalose was very long. Mut strains growing in media containing trehalose, alanine, sorbitol and mannitol with methanol (0.5%) as an inducing agent expressed as much or higher amount of β-gal as compared to the mut growing in methanol containing media.

Fermentation strategies for recombinant protein production inPichia pastorishave been investigated and are reviewed here. Characteristics of the expression system, such as phenotypes and carbon utilization, are summarized. Recently reported results such as growth model establishment, application of a methanol sensor, optimization of substrate feeding strategy, DOstat controller design, mixed feed technology, and perfusion and continuous culture are discussed in detail.